I'm primarily a reptile person, but my wife wants a hedgehog. I've been looking and dietary information. They are apparently an insectavore, but regularly eat fruits and veggies in some quantity. Now, I know there's dried food available for them, but I've never had great luck with prepared foods, and would rather stick with a diet of natural (or close to natural) food. It's worked well for me for 15 years with reptiles.

As part of my work with reptiles I have access to a broad variety of inverts. The basic crickets, mealworms and waxworms. I also have colonies of snails and worms I raise, and access to silkworms, grasshoppers, locust and beetles. In addition, I have plenty of baby mice (to feed to baby snakes mostly).

Using these, plus fruits (banana, grape, raisins, pears are all mentioned in the books I've read), would it be possible to avoid using prepared foods and have a healthy hog?

I have some additional housing questions--I have a variety of empty tanks, ranging from 10 to 40 gallons. Am I right in thinking 2-3" of aspen, a hiding box, a wheel and a water bottle are the essentials?

Oh, and will it freak the hedgie out to be near snakes? They're all in cages of course. I know they sometimes eat small snakes but most of mine aren't small...

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